Spring has us craving more fresh foods and gearing up for farmers’ markets. Eating a balanced diet has many benefits other than tasting great! Geeta Maker-Clark, MD, Integrative Family Medicine at NorthShore and food as medicine expert, shares ways to bring better nutrition into your life.

1. Eat more vegetables. Hands down, veggies contain more phytonutrients, antioxidants, fiber and vitamins than any other food group. Start by adding just two more servings a day to notice health benefits.
2. Decrease the amount of meat you eat. More research backs up a plant-based diet as the most healthful way to eat. Plant-based eating decreases blood pressure and decreases risk of type 2 diabetes.
3. Use herbs and spices to flavor your food. Turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, thyme, parsley, dill – there are so many to choose from and each one has its own distinct medicinal qualities and flavors. If you aren't familiar, there are many cookbooks and recipes online that can help you start using these powerful flavor builders, instead of salt!
4. Drink water when you feel hungry. Thirst often masquerades as hunger. Drinking a big glass of water before you start eating may help you from overeating as well as help energize your muscles and keep your digestion on track.
5. Cook from scratch whenever you can manage it. Using ingredients that you know and can control is always better than buying a processed food that often has additives, lots of salt and/or sugar, and other ingredients that may be less than healthy.

What is your favorite way to bring more nutrition into your diet?